Fantastic Fred continues to thrive

In that period, no-one has featured more than Fred, and only Harry Maguire has played more games for the Reds in all competitions this season. The regular run of matches has also helped Fred find a rhythm and routine that his game had previously lacked, while a year’s experience playing in England means he is fully up to speed with the physicality and pace of the Premier League

Fred’s showings in January demonstrated this, as he was given our Player-of-the-Month award, with stand-out performances like in the 4-0 win over Norwich City – in which he made his 50th appearance for the Reds – and in the defeat at Liverpool the following week, where Fred led our attempted second-half fightback.

It was with another trip to Merseyside where Fred, and United, began March. Again, it was a difficult afternoon, one in which the Reds had to recover from a disappointing opening 10 minutes. Yet Fred was instrumental as we dragged our way back into the contest. While it may have been Bruno Fernandes who smashed the ball past Jordan Pickford in the home goal to earn a 1-1 draw, the Portuguese midfielder was only granted so much attacking freedom due to Fred’s defensive discipline.